The Royal Mint has unveiled the first coin design in its new Star Wars™ collection globally, as part of a coin reveal event from its visitor attraction, The Royal Mint Experience in Llantrisant, South Wales.

This is the first time the iconic characters of the original Star Wars trilogy will feature on official UK coins, including the nation’s most collectable coin, the 50p, with images of R2-D2™ and C-3PO™ being the first to feature as part of the four-coin collection. Both characters are seen inside the Millennium Falcon, the infamous star ship which has played a role in some of the greatest victories of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic. Other coins in the collection will feature Darth Vader™ and Emperor Palpatine™, Luke Skywalker™ and Princess Leia™ and Han Solo™ and Chewbacca™.

Coin collecting remains Britain’s favoured hobby, with coins remaining the number one collected item in the UK. The Royal Mint’s Star Wars collection is offering an original twist for avid Star Wars enthusiasts to expand their dedicated collection of memorabilia.

Experienced coin designer Ffion Gwillim has bought the brainchild of American moviemaker George Lucas to life on UK coins, working in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company. Combining traditional minting techniques with cutting-edge technology, The Royal Mint’s craftspeople have faithfully reproduced R2-D2 and C-3PO characters in vivid colour for the first time on official UK coins.

Each coin in the Star Wars Commemorative Coin Collection features a special lenticular feature, which tilts in the light to reveal symbols. The lenticular feature on the first coin in the collection features both Tatooine and the Rebel Alliance ‘Starbird’ logo. An advanced picosecond laser was used by The Royal Mint to imprint the intricate design onto coin making tools to ensure accuracy, and create an additional, special effect to further enhance the coin’s design. By adding it to the Star Wars collection, this will introduce new audiences to The Royal Mint’s specialised striking techniques. The only exception to this is the quarter ounce gold, which has a static image in place of the lenticular feature.

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint said: “We are delighted to launch an out-of-this-world collection to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. We are excited to enthuse new and existing coin collectors across the world, as well as Star Wars’ thriving fan base both in the United Kingdom, and internationally, with the launch of this collection. The collection features beloved character duos from the Star Wars franchise, and the team at The Royal Mint have worked to faithfully recreate the iconic R2-D2 and C3-PO, the first Star Wars characters to feature on coins in the collection.”

The first coin in the collection celebrating the iconic characters from Star Wars, which comes in a 50p and ounce range, will be available to purchase from The Royal Mint’s website at 9am (BST) 10th July via The Royal Mint’s website. Customers will also have the opportunity to secure all four coins on the official launch day too.